An all around stellar game that has almost everything I can point to about this series and sing the praises of. As the first Kirby game I played with series investment, there's a lot of bias for it OFC, but that doesn't mean its iconic soundtrack, gameplay and story variety, and a thousand other silly details aren't objectively the best.

Time and remakes have made me realize how foundational this game is to my experience with the the series, even if its not the most outstanding on the surface. But underneath its New Super Mario Bros lookin' exterior is an incredible polish supporting an elegant introduction to the modern Kirby formula, which has brought me back to it more than nearly any other Kirby game.

A nearly undisputed champion of the series - KPR may be where 2.5D Kirby peaked, and is definitely where the modern narrative structure began to hit a stride in thematic complexity (despite a few hiccups). It also boasts one of the strongest art directions of the series helped by marrying its usual fluffy fantasy art-style with techno theming, something that also imbued the soundtrack with unparalleled pizazz!

Honestly one of the most perfect Kirby games there is, which is a mindblowing feat as the FIRST fully 3D game! But the passion and talent for the series and what it can do mechanically, narratively, and visually is on full display in this game, boasting one of my personal favorite stories for it's themes relating to animals and life. It'll likely rise higher once I replay it.

There is so much fondness I hold for the Dark Matter Trilogy despite the failings of it's first two entries, but 64 makes up for all of them and is a beautiful and iconic game. An adorable and flexible artstyle, great level design, and a non-stop banger soundtrack make it a delight to run through as the climax of one of the series' most memorable plotlines.

I would not be as in love with this series if not for this character. From his epic appearance leading me to falling head-first into the rabbit hole of his backstory, to the essays and lore bibles I've written trying to contain all of my interest in analyzing and building upon his beautiful yet vague character, he is emblematic of so much of my adoration for this series as a whole.

Though Galacta is on a whole other level of blorboism, he and Meta Knight undeniably come as a pair, and I am in love with their characters for similar reasons. There's something about these dark, jaded warrior types contrasted against the brightness of the series which makes both shine so much brighter, especially combined with Meta Knight's honest and gentle traits that make him the ideal little goth.

There is not in the whole wide world a sweeter and more perfect protagonist than Kirby. Like his series itself, his amazing head-to-toe design is admired superficially yet goes so much further than that. Not BECAUSE there is some dark backstory or truckload of paragraphs needed to explain him, but because his simplicity is so meticulously and lovingly crafted. He is fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marx is an absolutely iconic video game villain, and encapsulates a lot of what I love about the series at it's most basic level. What he lacks in relevance he makes up for in style and novelty as one of the first and most blunt twist villains of the series, mixing the whimsical, mean, and a touch spooky so damn memorably! Video game clowns would be nothing without him...

I love cartoon animals so damn much, and Elfilin's design was already enough to sell me on loving him, but on top of that he's central to one of my favorite stories in the series ABOUT CARTOON ANIMALS, and on top of that boasts his own great arc and dynamics about facing the person you once were and rediscovering your sense of wonder - he is everything.

It's a very fun did-ya-know to throw at people unfamiliar with the Hal dev team, but it's only elevated by seeing the concept art Kumazaki does for the series in it's own style. He's my favorite director and I think it's because of his earnest grasp both on crazy stuff like eldritch themes, and what makes Kirby Kirby. He simply has the range, dahling...

I always love when character's are given random phobias, it's incredibly charming especially when they're pretty much canonically these all-powerful warriors of light and destiny and what-not. I also enjoy how I can totally imagine why a character known for thoughtlessly scarfing down food might have a fear of the nasty pests that live in tasty fruits.

This series' ability to balance between the compelling and the silly is pretty much what I live for, and Meta Knight is one of those perfect encapsulations of that. Hal made a genuinely badass character who looks like an armor-clad blueberry, but just to make sure you know that the devs understand the type of character they made, here's a million little hints that he's secretly a glutton for all things chocolate and ice cream!

The Kirby devs have a habit of crafting their own little inside traditions, and one of my favorites is a tradition of the series directors voicing King Dedede. It started with Sakurai (and even continues in Smash Bros), but Kumazaki has taken up the mantle with incredible passion if his performance in KatFL and at the Kirby Music Fest is any indication.

Bandana Waddle Dee is quite the controversial character, and its sad how many don't know about the amazing character ballad that is The Apple Juice Song from the 2017 Kirby Memorial Arrangements CD (which I actually haven't fully listened to!) In all seriousness it's an incredibly silly little thing, but it did give a rather unexplored character a compelling bit of personality.